[I'm not sure if we should be alarmed. Don't like RFID tags sewn into your clothing? Take them out after you buy it. Or don't buy RFIDwear. --Declan] --- From: "Richard M. Smith" <rmsat_private> To: "'Declan McCullagh'" <declanat_private>, "Richard M. Smith" <rmsat_private> Subject: RFID tags: Cookies for everyday objects Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 21:39:04 -0500 Hi Declan, The low-cost RFID tag business is an up and coming technology. The Holy Grail of this business is to produce an ID tag that costs only 5 cents to manufacture and therefore can be embedded in almost any consumer product. RFID tags are kind of like Web browser cookies for everyday objects. They allow individual products to be tracked during their entire life time from their birth at a factory all the way to their death at the local landfill. RFID readers work up to a distance of 5 feet and don't require any special efforts for tags to be read. The Auto-ID center of Cambridge, Mass. has some interesting diagrams of how RFID readers will use the Internet to connect to a centralized tracking database: http://www.autoidcenter.org/technology.asp Once RFID readers are deployed in most of the stores here in the US, there will some really amazing tracking systems that can be put into place. For example, just by embedding RFID tags into clothing, stores can recognize returning customers a la "Minority Report". Also stores can send out "all-points bulletins" for clothing items that have gone missing. Shoplifters won't be able to hide. ;-) Attached are summaries of two recent RFID tag stories at the RFID Journal, an industry trade rag, about how this technology might get rolled out. Richard M. Smith http://www.ComputerBytesMan.com ======================================================== Gillette to Purchase 500 Million EPC Tags http://www.rfidjournal.com/news/nov02/gillette111502.html Exclusive: Gillette plans to purchase 500 million RFID tags from startup Alien Technology, according to sources attending an Auto-ID Center board meeting on Nov. 14. The deal marks a major milestone in the commercialization of low-cost RFID tags based on the Auto-ID Center's specifications. New Direct-To-Textile Washable RFID Tag http://www.rfidjournal.com/news/nov02/washable111104.html KSW-Microtec, a Germany company that makes RFID tags and labels, has unveiled a new washable RFID label that can be attached directly to fabrics. The company is targeting the untapped uniform market in the United States. Full Story ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ Recent CNET News.com articles: http://news.search.com/search?q=declan -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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